NORTH KINGSTOWN –– He was the kind of father who waited at the bus stop with his two young sons and made their lunches each day. He was the kind of husband who often took his wife ballroom dancing, as he had since their wedding day 11 years ago Saturday.

Terence W. Ashworth, who was identified by the police as the man who died in a burning pickup at the park-and-ride lot on Boston Neck Road early Wednesday, was also the kind of community member who ran for the Narragansett School Committee with the hopes of making a difference.

“He was a great, great man,” his wife, Meredith, said Friday through her tears. Ashworth’s Ford F150 pickup was in the lot just before 6 a.m. when people in two passing vehicles saw it engulfed in flames, said North Kingstown Police Chief Edward Charboneau. Passers-by pulled him out of the burning truck cab, trying to save his life, the chief said.

But Ashworth had burned to death, Charboneau said. State Fire Marshal Jack Chartier said on Friday that the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but is not believed to be suspicious.

Mrs. Ashworth cried as she talked about her husband’s love and kindness. The couple have two sons, ages 4 and 8, with whom he was very close, she said.

“He was the best man on earth,” she said. “There wasn’t a better dad out there.”

Ashworth, 37, coached Little League and had been the director of group living at the Ocean Tides program in Narragansett, before becoming a private contractor. Mrs. Ashworth is a teacher at Narragansett High School, and she said her husband shared his love of ballroom dancing with the students, teaching them to dance.

“He was really good with kids. He really cared about kids,” Mrs. Ashworth said. “He was a very social and outgoing man.”

Ashworth decided to run for the School Committee after he and other fathers succeeded in getting a Spanish program added at the elementary school level.

“He thought if he could do that little bit of good, what else could he do?” Mrs. Ashworth said.

Ashworth was elected last year and served on the subcommittees for parks and recreation, and health and wellness.

On Thursday, the flags at the schools in Narragansett were lowered to half-staff in Ashworth’s memory.

The school community was mourning his death, Supt. Katherine Sipala said in a statement issued on Thursday. Ashworth was known through his work with the school system, through Mrs. Ashworth, who is a high school teacher, and through their two sons, at the elementary school.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to Terry’s entire family and join in their sadness at this time, as we have also lost a colleague, a good friend and a steadfast supporter of education,” Sipala stated.

amilkovi@projo.com